3 January 1928, Ashland, Mississippi, USA. A veteran of several Memphis-based bands, Mitchell rose to prominence in the late 50s with an outfit that formed the basis for his production work and early solo recordings. The line-up included Lewis Steinberg and Al Jackson, both of whom would later appear in Booker T. And The MGs. By the 60s, Mitchell was leading the Hi Records h
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Darrell Eubanks, 1938, Mansfield, Ohio, USA, d. March 1970, Detroit, Michigan, USA. Banks sprang to fame in 1966 with his magnificent debut single, Open The Door To Your Heart, one of the finest non- Motown Records releases to emerge from Detroit. A second hit, Somebody (Somewhere) Needs You, followed that same year, but the singers progress was
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Laura Lee Newton, 9 March 1945, Chicago, Illinois, USA. A member of her adopted mothers, Ernestine Rundless, gospel group the Meditation Singers, Lees first secular recording was made for the Detroit-based Ric-Tic label. She was signed to Chess Records in 1966, who, after failing to find success with a Chicago-recorded single, sent her to Rick Halls F
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Doris Higginsen, 6 January 1937, the Bronx, New York City, New York, USA, d. 16 February 2004, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The daughter of a Barbadian Pentecostal preacher, Doris Higginsen abandoned her gospel beginnings in favour of a jazz group, the Halos. She recorded as half of Jay And Dee and soon also began making her mark as a songwriter, using her grandmothers name
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1941, USA. A singer in the mould of Ben E. King, Johnson was a former member of the Zionettes. Their single Talking About The Man enjoyed sufficient local interest to prompt his solo ambitions. Signed to the Big Top/Big Hill group of labels, Johnson recorded a series of superb Burt Bacharach / Hal David compositions, including Reach Out For Me (1963)
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13 May 1943, Detroit, Michigan, USA, d. 26 July 1992, Los Angeles, California, USA. At the age of 17, Mary Wells composed Bye Bye Baby, a song which she offered to R&B star Jackie Wilson. His producer, Berry Gordy, was sufficiently impressed to offer her a contract with the newly formed Motown Records label, and Wells rendition of her song became one of
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Donald Randolph, 24 March 1938, Orangeburg, South Carolina, USA. Covay resettled in Washington during the early 50s and initially sang in the Cherry Keys, his familys gospel quartet. He crossed over to secular music with the Rainbows, a formative vocal group that also included Marvin Gaye and Billy Stewart. Covays solo career began in 1957 as part of the Little R
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Charles Edwin Hatcher, 21 January 1942, Nashville, Tennessee, USA, d. 2 April 2003, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. The brother of soul singers Roger and Willie Hatcher, Starr was raised in Cleveland, where he formed the Future Tones vocal group in 1957. They recorded one single for Tress, before Starr was drafted into the US Army for three years. After completing his
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Michael Joseph Jackson, 29 August 1958, Gary, Indiana, USA. Jackson has spent almost his entire life as a public performer. He was a founder member of the Jackson Five at the age of four, soon becoming their lead vocalist and frontman. Onstage, he modelled his dance moves and vocal styling on James Brown, and portrayed an absolute self-confidence on stage that belied his shy
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The Sweet Inspirations career reached back into the Drinkard Singers, a formative gospel group whose fluid line-up included Dionne Warwick and Cissy Houston. The group dropped this name on pursuing a secular path as session singers. Houston remained at the helm during several subsequent changes, (Doris Troy and Judy Clay were among the former members), and the group emerg
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